In 1976, Toronto Council Fire began with a small group of people meeting
in a church basement. They recognized that an increasing number of Indigenous
people were gravitating to the downtown core and that many of them were
disadvantaged and becoming homeless. By 1978 Council Fire was given a
small space to operate and began receiving visits from mostly young Aboriginal
men that had left their home communities, been released from institutions
or traveled from other urban settings.

Council Fire hosted regular potluck dinners that were a popular event
and soon became a funded program serving all nationalities. As Council
Fire grew, other support services were added to better serve a broad
client base from infants to seniors. Some of their programs and activities
include the Aboriginal All Weather Survival program, Life Long Care,
First Nations Skills Development Program, Little Embers (Youth Program),
Healing and Wellness, Drop-In, Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and Basic
Skills (Literacy program). Equally important to the support services
offered at Council Fire are the spiritual and personal needs of their
clients. Council Fire continues to provide counselling, material assistance,
and other direct services while encouraging and hosting circles that
support and enhance the spiritual and personal growth of First Nations
people.

In 1997 Council Fire was able to establish a permanent home for their
programs and services at their current location. The additional space
has allowed for the expansion of support services such as skill development
and training initiatives offered by the centre. Council Fire is a vibrant
cultural agency that is committed to the well-being of Indigenous people
in the greater Toronto area.

Since the birth of Council Fire they have served as a host and sponsor
to a number of learning circles that support and encourage cultural learning,
healing, and self-awareness under the careful guidance of Elders, traditional
teachers, volunteers and Council Fire staff. The Craft Circle serves
as a sound example of the learning circles hosted by Council Fire.

The Craft Circle evolved from a healing circle for residential school
survivors, their families, and community members dealing with the intergenerational
effects of the residential school era. The Craft Circle offered these
people an opportunity to continue meeting, sharing, and healing while
learning about and sharing their culture through hands-on activities.
The circle was soon opened to include other urban Aboriginal people and
their families, interested in learning and sharing Indigenous culture
and traditional arts and crafts. Jayne Monague, Council Fire’s
Healing and Wellness Coordinator states: “The circle is helping
the Indigenous community to heal and grow stronger.”

The Craft Circle has 12 regular participants ranging from young adults
to people in their eighties that meet once a week on Tuesday or Thursday
morning. The participants come from Scarborough, Etobicoke and the greater
Toronto area to learn, create, share, and build community. Most of the
Craft Circle participants have learned about the circle through word
of mouth or were part of the original healing circle. Some participants
have accessed this information in Council Fire’s monthly calendar
in which Jayne posts their meetings. She also sends faxes to other Aboriginal
organizations and agencies to inform the Indigenous community of their
events and gatherings, as some agencies have referred their clients to
the Craft Circle.

The Craft Circle begins with an opening greeting circle, smudge, and
lots of hugs. It is important that the participants of the circle feel
welcome, loved, and supported. Participants of the Craft Circle operate
like a family and offer emotional and spiritual nurturing. There is a
great deal of interpersonal sharing that happens while participants work
away at making their crafts. It is not uncommon for the circle to break
for prayer during their gatherings in which they express their spiritual
connections and send positive energy to the people that need their support.
The Craft Circle is a place of healing and learning where participants
share their lived experiences, build relationships, and care for one
another.

There are no prerequisites for joining the Craft Circle, everyone is
welcome. The circle operates in a flexible manner and many of the crafting
activities are initiated and facilitated by participants in the circle.
According to Jayne, some of the participants now facilitate craft circles
in other places. These individuals have learned through experience and
are now able to move out into the community to share their skills and
stories of healing with others. Occasionally, Council Fire staff members
are called upon to share their skills and facilitate a traditional art
or craft activity. Staff participation in the circle is dependant upon
their availability.

Participation in the Craft Circle is non-threatening and inclusive in
that the traditional arts and craft activities are hands-on and experiential.
Participants can learn and experiment with various materials at their
own pace and with the support of others in the group. Print and/or written
material is seldom used in the circle, although facilitators may introduce
written and visual reference material from time to time. When handouts
are used they are often very basic and include pictures and diagrams
to illustrate the necessary steps in the process. In most cases instructions
are given orally and participants are shown various techniques. Demonstrations
are usually required of the facilitator, along with a sample of the finished
product. This allows the participants to see the whole item or craft,
rather than just parts of the whole.

In order for the Craft Circle to get established, they were invited
to use Council Fire crafting supplies with the understanding that as
circle made various crafts such as necklaces, wristbands, chokers, and
earrings they would donate some their finished items for craft sales.
The craft sales would help the centre to replenish their craft supplies,
as well as support further out reach activities in the Indigenous community.
This arrangement works well for both Council Fire and the Craft Circle,
although Jayne felt that the circle could benefit from financial support.
This would assist some of the participants with the cost of transportation
to and from the circle meetings. It would also help them to purchase
more crafting supplies for more elaborate and intricate projects such
as quilting and beading. It would also assist the circle in bringing
forward new and more experienced crafters, instead of always relying
upon volunteers to facilitate. They would also be able to offer an honorarium
to Elders that visit the circle, share their teachings, skills and knowledge.

The Craft Circle is evaluated by attendance and oral narratives from
the participants about their experience. As the coordinator of Healing
and Wellness, Jayne is very interested in the Craft Circle and how participants
work together; not only to organize their crafts, but also to engage
in healing talk. Jayne has asked participants if their life is better
as a result of the sharing and support that takes place in the Craft
Circle. She has also used a brief questionnaire in the past to determine
the impact of the Craft Circle on individual and family wellness.

In closing, I realized that Council Fire was once a learning circle
that evolved over time into a vibrant cultural organization committed
to the well-being of the Indigenous community. Today, they are host to
many learning circles, including the Craft Circle.